Jim Parson on San Diego and Theatre

This is an article I wrote after comic con for another site, but thought that I would share it here as well since it involves me asking recent Emmy winner Jim Parsons, from “The Big Bang Theory” about two topics close to my heart, theatre and San Diego. Known, for playing everyone’s favorite nerd Sheldon, Jim Parsons is no stranger to San Diego, having appeared at both the Old Globe and the La Jolla Playhouse while he studied for his MFA in Theatre.

When asked about his recent theatre experience with Normal Heart in New York and how it all came about, here is what he had to say:

“I called my agent a couple of months before the season was over and said ‘Look, we don’t have anything lined up for the full summer or anything, and I would just kill to do some theatre. I know it’s a long shot to get on a Broadway show, that’s not what I’m asking. I’ll do reading, I’ll do whatever’.

They said “Ok, let us think”.

About 5 days later, they called back and said that they’re going to do the Normal Heartand that they were going to do it in this time frame, would you consider this role. And then I said “uh, yea!”.

Then they had to work out scheduling conflicts, which were many, you know. I had about 8 days of rehearsal total before the first preview of that show, which was very frightening. With that being said, the whole process was short. The whole cast had about two weeks total of rehearsal, so they were willing to work with me and I was so grateful. And I feel very rejuvenated having done that. I’ve done so much theater in my life, but I haven’t done any since I’ve started “Big Bang”. Even if we tape it in front of a life audience, it’s different you know, never mind the tone of theNormal Heart is so different from a “Big Bang” episode. It was just nice to play somebody different, you know, it really was. It was nice to spend the summer doing that and that group of people I worked with is a remarkable bunch, they really were. It was more than I ever dreamed that request for theatre would have turned into, they did so many things. ”

How do you feel about returning to San Diego for Comic Con?

“I love it here. We drove in this morning and I was talking with my manager and said that the only thing hard about being San Diego for Comic Con is that when I was here for school, San Diego is a very fun town, but also very laid back. There is nothing laid back about Comic Con. “

Is there more theatre in his future, or did his Broadway experience tide him over for a while?

“One of the people in the show said “This is your first Broadway show?” I said “Yes”. They said “You should retire now, you do not want to see the way things can go in another show. Just stop it here. That’s the only bad part about it was that it did not satiate my thirst for theater, it made me hungrier. I want to do another theater”.

Hopefully in his quest for more theatre he will find him performing in San Diego again!